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GAZ Tiger Etched Sets for Meng. 1:35 ET Models


Shar2

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Russian GAZ Tiger Etch Sets

1:35 ET Model

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The Meng GAZ Tiger armoured utility vehicle was another very pleasant surprise that they like to give us modellers. The kit, reviewed HERE, is already well detailed but ET Models have now released two sets for it, one for the interior and one for the exterior. As with their other sets, these come in the standard ET packaging of poly bag with card header. The main sheets are taped onto black card, whilst the smaller sheets are contained in a zip lock poly bag, and the instructions of 41/2 sides of A4 are on green paper. These are very clear and well laid out, but they will still require careful reading before starting to assemble the etched parts, as some of the kit parts need to be altered or removed before these can be added. Where holes need to be cut or drilled there are clear measurements to help the modeller get it right. Plastic or brass rod of various diameters will also be required to use as directed.

Exterior Set (E35-184). The first operation before cutting any etch out of the sheets is the removal of all the window hinges, rear bumpers, front clamps and GAZ logo and the windscreen wipers. These are all replaced with etched parts the hinges being the trickiest with the two hinge parts being bent to shape then joined by a short length of plastic or brass rod depending on your preference. Other items to be replaced include the tow cable for which a length of wire is included in the set and the fourteen clamps that hold the cable to the side of the vehicle. The tow cable eye pieces need to be removed from the kit part to be joined onto the ends of the metal wire. The windscreen wipers have new wipers and their associated motor covers. The rear bumpers look like they will be rather challenging to bend to shape but ET have provided a scale drawing of how it should look to help the modeller.

The items that go to completely replace the kit parts include a new shovel blade, and saw with their clamps, new clamps for the axe, replacement number plates, front and rear mud guards, underbody armoured panels, a new pintle for the machine gun, which also receives a new ammunition box, lid, holder and a length of ammunition belt. Also included in the set is a pair of round ammunition containers that presumably are to be randomly placed within the vehicle should the modeller not wish to buy the interior set.

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Interior Set (E35-195). This set is quite a bit larger than the above set, mainly due to the detail that is already in the kit interior. The set contains all new replacement parts for the main vertical ammunition rack for the rectangular ammunition cases. This is quite a complex assembly and is made up of the four sides plus four shelves along with a small container on the top and the flask holder on the side. To each shelve two piece straps are added which will look very effective in situ. There are three horizontal ammunition racks, which hold the either the circular or rectangular cases. These are each made up of a folded main rack piece, into which four angles dividers are fitted. To the completed racks each divided section is fitted with a four piece strap. Two of these racks sit on the rear wheel arches whilst the third is fitted with an extra angled part underneath so that it sits correctly on the box on the left hand side just in front of the wheel arch. Fitted to the rear of the vehicle on the left hand side near the doors is another large rack. This is made up of an open fronted frame that’s folded to shape, then fitted with a vertical divider and a single shelf. This rack is fitted with four more rectangular ammunition boxes, whilst two support brackets fitted to the side away from the door with associated straps is for a very large ammunition box.

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With the main racks built up and fitted there are two smaller stowage racks for the light anti-tank rocket launchers and these are fitted to the hull sides just above the windows. There are three racks are included in the set for the storage of six launchers. The rest of the interior parts make up new blinds for each window, new pedals for the driver, window latches and openers, new locks for the rear doors and new grilles for the radiator, oil cooler and intake on the right hand side of the front wing. To populate some of the racking there parts for six circular ammunition cans, four very large rectangular boxes and four standard sized rectangular cans. If required the kit parts could be used to fill any empty spaces in the racks with the etched parts closest to the doors.

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Conclusion

This is another great set from ET Models, even though some may question whether it’s really need after Meng had done such a great job on the kit. Well that’s up to the individual, but I feel that these sets raise the bar and provided lots of little touches that will make the model stand out from the crowd. Particularly if the doors are to be posed open to show off all the fiddly work that is required to get the best from the sets. Recommended

Review Sample courtesy of
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